Packaging



y 1938. R. R RICHARDSON 2,119,053

PACKAGING Filed July 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 25' i 16 20 15 20% J7 y 1938. R. R. RICHARDSON 2,119,058

PACKAGING Filed July 15, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. R. RICHARDSON PACKAGING Filed July 15, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 31, 1938 PACKAGING Ralph R. Richardson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Carton Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application July 15, w

5 Claims.

This invention relates to packaging and it has more particular reference to the construction and method oi. employment of a box-like receptacle.

The package structure herein disclosed may conveniently be employed in connection with various kinds of material but it has been found to be especially adapted for use in the packaging of materials of thermo-plastic nature, which may conveniently and practicably be introduced into a container in fluid form, and which subsequently hardens.

One of the important objects of the invention is to provide a package structure which will facilitate the packaging of materials of the character mentioned and which will greatly reduce the costs incident to present conventional packaging methods. while at the same time being efficient and practical.

Other objects and advantages oi the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (three sheets) wherein there is illustrated a selected form of the improved package and the method in which it is employed.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan of a paper or cardboard blank from which the improved package is formed;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are illustrations showing successive steps in the folding of the blank to form a closed receptacle:

Figs. 6 and 7 are sections on the lines 8-0 and 1-1 respectively of Fig. 5; and

Figs. 8 to 14 inclusive are schematic perspective illustrations on a smaller scale, illustrating the successive steps employed when packaging a thermo-plastic product in a box according to this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved box shown in its closed position in Fig. 5, and in open position in Fig. 4, includes a receptacle portion R and a cover portion 0, the two parts being integrally and hingedly connected at the upper edge of an end wall oi the receptacle.

The blank from which the box and cover are formed is illustrated in Fig. 1 and includes portions designated R and C which are respectively folded to form the said receptacle and cover portions. The-receptacle-forming portion R includes a bottom panel is, end panels I. and I1 integrally connected to the bottom panel at its ends. and opposite side panels It and it which are also integrally connected to the bottom panel at its opposite side edges. The end and side panels are adapted to be folded from flat posims. Serial No. 31.333 (01. 229-33) tion coplanar with the bottom it to wall-forming position substantially perpendicular to the bottom it along creased or otherwise formed fold lines designated 20. The side wall panels it and it of the receptacle are provided with flat extensions at their opposite ends, the panel portion it having extensions 2i and 22 and the panel portion it having extensions 22 and 24. The said flap extensions are each adapted to be folded to substantially perpendicular relation to the respective side wall panels from which they extend. suitable fold lines indicated at 2i! beinfl provided for this purpose.

The cover-forming portion of the blank includes a top panel 25, an end panel 26, and 0pposite side wall-forming panels 21 and 28. The end side wall-forming panels 28,21, and 28 are integrally united to the top panel 26 and are adapted to be folded to substantially perpendicular relation to the top panel along suitable fold lines indicated at 29. The side panels 21 and 28 are provided with end extensions or flaps 20 and ii which are adapted to be folded along other suitable fold lines 29 to substantially per- 'pendicular relation to the respective side wall panels'from which they extend.

The cover portion of the blank is integrally united to the receptacle-forming portion of the blank and is adapted to be folded relative thereto along a suitable fold line 32 which defines the top edge 0! the rear end wall It of the receptacle and the rear edge of the top panel 26 of the cover. The said fold line 32 also constitutes a hinged connection between the cover and receptacle portions of the structure.

The cover portion C is completed or preformed into a receptacle-like cover element wherein the end and side walls 26, 21, and 28 are disposed at substantially right angles to the top panel 25 and the end flaps 30 and II are disposed in overlapping relation to the end panel 20. To secure the cover structure in said pre-fcrmed condition, the ends wall panel 28 is preferably provided with a stripe of adhesive indicated at 33 and the end flaps Ill and Ii are thereby adhesively united along outer margins to the outer margin of the end wall 28.

To facilitate storage, transportation, and handling in general, oi, the above described structure. the side wall panels 21 and 28 of the cover portion of the blank are provided with more lines indicated at 34, 34, which extend diagonally as best shown in Fig. 1 from the cover corners formed between the top wall 2! and the side walls 20 and 21 and 20 and 28 respectively.

The fold line 34' is preferably so formed that the united end wall 28 and flaps ill and Ii may be folded along the adjacent score line connection 20 with the top panel 25 into rebent overlapping position relative to the top wall panel, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3. The diagonally disposed fold lines 34 permit such folding or collapsing of the pre-formed cover portion, while permitting the side wall-forming panels 21 and 28 to remain in flattened position substantially coplanar with the receptacle forming portion of the blank.

When the blank is completed and folded to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, it constitutes a practical article of commerce in that it may be sold in this form to soap manufacturers and others who may employ the package for other products. In the said collapsed form, the blank occupies the minimum of space so that a maximum number of package forming units may be stored in a compact, small sized bundle.

In employing the package, the user takes a blank formed as illustrated in Fig. 3 and first folds the side and end wall-forming panels of the receptacle portion into substantially perpendicular relation to the bottom I! of the receptacle, the end flaps II to 24 inclusive being folded to substantially perpendicular relation to the respective side walls I! and i9 and disposed inwardly of the end walls It and l I.

The cover portion 0 is unfolded or distended so that its side walls 21 and 28 and end wall 28 are disposed in receptacle-like forming relation to the top panel 25. The receptacle may be filled with the desired material and the cover then swung on its hinged connection 32 in the upper edge of the end wall it of the receptacle to closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein the cover telescopically fits over the receptacle.

During the filling of the receptacle, the end and side wall portions thereof may be manually or otherwise supported against unfolding movement and as soon as the cover portion is folded to its closed position illustrated in Fig. 5, the said receptacle side walls become supported against unfolding movement by the cover structure. Hence it is unnecessary to adhesively or otherwise unite the flaps 2| and 23 to the end wall II or the flaps 22 and 24 to the end wall II. If desired to seal or more securely lock the package in closed position illustrated in Fig. 5, a band or stripe of adhesive material, as indicated at ll in Fig. 4 may be applied to the side and end wall portions of the receptacle. The cover end and side wall portions which overlap the end and side wall portions of the receptacle should then be pressed into adhering contact with the adhesively .striped portions of the receptacle.

To facilitate opening of the package, especially in the event that it is adhesively sealed or secured in closed position, the end flaps 30 and II of the cover are disposed in outwardly overlapping relation to theend wall portion. 26 of the cover. Inasmuch as the end flaps ill and II are adhesively united along only their lower marginal portion to the lower marginal portion of the end flap 2!. the upper portions of the said end flaps remain free and may easily be gripped between the fingers to facilitate opening the package by tearing. The upper edges of the flaps l0 and ii are preferably cut away from the line of fold 29 which forms one end comer of the package. thereby preventing frictional contact between the upper edges of such flaps and other packages which may be stacked on top of the package and which by removal might otherwise accidentally drag on the edges of the end flaps and tend to pull the same away from the end wall 2|. The cut-back upper edges of the end flaps also result in the formation of a prominent portion which will attract attention and thereby assist in the giving of directions for opening the package, if it is adhesively secured or sealed in closed position.

Referring now to Figs. 8 to 14 inclusive, there is illustrated the manner of employing the described package in the packaging of a thermoplastic material. Box blanks cut as illustrated in Fig. 8, which corresponds to the form of blank illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 3, may be propelled by a suitable chain or. like conveyor, and along the path of movement suitable devices may be'provided for first folding the side walls and end flaps thereof into perpendicular relation to the bottom I! of the receptacle, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 9.

At a further advanced position, the end walls l6 and ll of the receptacle portion of the blank are folded to overlap the end flaps 2|, 22, 21, and 24, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 10. In this position, the cover forming portion oi the blank will extend upwardly in substantially coplanar relation to one end wall of the receptacle. When the blank is formed to this condition illustrated in Fig. 10, either while the blank remains at the station where the end walls are folded upwardly, or at an advanced station, thermo-plastic material in fluid form may be fed to the receptacle by being poured therein.

The receptacle thus filled may then be advanced still further in the direction in which it has already been moving, or it may change its direction to move laterally at substantially right angles to the initial path of movement. The latter arrangement is illustrated by the relationship of Figs. 12, 13, and 14 to Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 Assuming that the filled receptacle is moved laterally, the next position is preferably used for embossing the top surface of the material in the rece tacle which, by the time the filled receptacle reac es the position represented in Fig. 12, has hardened sumciently, but not too much, to permit embossing by means of a suitable stamping device which may be designed to be moved vertically into and out of engagement with the top surface of the package content. When the package is in the position represented in Fig. 12, or during the course of its furtherlateral movement, a glue stripe such as 35 may be applied by suitable devices.

Up to this point, the cover member has remained in its collapsed, flat condition, and the next step consists in opening or unfolding the cover to receptacle-like condition. This step is represented in Fig. 13, where the cover is illustrated in its unfolded position in which it is ready to be turned downwardly about its hinged connection with the receptacle.

The final step in the method consists in turning or folding the cover downwardly about its said hinged connection with the receptacle, and in the event that adhesive material is employed for locking or sealing the package in closed condition, suitable devices are provided for applying pressureto the zone in which adhesive is applied to effect adhering contact between the cover and receptacle portions of said zone. It will of course be understood that adhesive may be employed simply in small spots or bars, as distinguished from a complete stripe as illustrated, in which iii case adhesive does not effect sealing of the carton but effectively serves to maintain the carton in its closed condition For manipulating the various portions of the receptacle and cover of the package, mechanical devices may of course be provided. Inasmuch as such devices form no part of the invention herein disclosed, they are not illustrated.

The described package structure, when used for packaging goods ordinarily dispensed in the form of a cake, bar or brick, or other similar form, eliminates the requirement of special molds for forming the material into such shapes, eliminates considerable handling incident to the employment of special molds, the removal of the goods therefrom, and consequently greatly reduces the cost of packaging the material. Packages ac;- cording to the described invention may be almost entirely automatically formed with accuracy to provide well shaped, neat appearing, attractive packages.

Obviously, a wide variety of goods which have a thermo-plastic characteristic may be packaged according to this invention, and it will be apparent that the material, although in fluid form when introduced into the box, should be of-a heavy or thick consistency so that it will not be apt to leak out through the corners of the box or through any small openings therein incident to its construction.

Changes in the described structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the

same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. The method of making a package with a paper box structure substantially as described which consists in folding up the box section without uniting the parts thereof in box condition, fllling the box with the material to be packaged, applying adhesive to an outside wall portion of the box, closing the cover on the box, and effecting .contact between the inside of a wall portion of the cover and the adhesive applied to the box, thereby completing the inclosure of the material and adhesively locking the package in closed condition.

2. The method of packaging a thermo-plastic material, which consists in propelling an initially flat blank adapted to be folded to form a receptacle portion and a cover portion, the latter being adapted to telescopically fit over the receptacle portion, effecting folding of the receptacle-forming portion of the blank to form the same into a receptacle, temporarily externally supporting the folded portions of the blank to maintain the same in said receptacle .form, flowing thermo-plastic material thereinto, permitting the material to cool and harden in the receptacle, whereby said receptacle constitutes a mold serving to shape the material in cake form corresponding with the shape of the receptacle, effecting folding of said cover-forming blank portion to form the same into a receptacle-like cover adapted to telescopically flt over the filled receptacle and then folding the cover to closed, position telescoped over the receptacle so as to cause the cover to complete the packaging of the material and to maintain the receptacle portion of the blank in said receptacle form.

3. The method of packaging a thermo-plastic material which consists in propelling a blank which is pie-formed to provide a receptacle pertion and a cover portion, the receptacle portion being in flat, wholly unfolded condition and the cover portion being pre-formed but collapsed to form corresponding with the shape of the receptacle, embossing the top surface of the cake of material in the receptacle, effecting distention of said pre-formed cover portion to form the same into a receptacle-like cover adapted to fit telescopically over the fllled receptacle, and then folding the, distended cover to closed telescoped position over the receptacle, thereby to complete the inclosing of the material andto cause side wall portions of the cover to maintain the receptacle portion in receptacle form.

4. The method of packaging a thermo-plastic material which consists in propelling a blank which is pre-formed to provide a receptacle portion and a cover portion, thereceptacle portion being in flat, wholly unfolded condition and the cover portion being pre-formed but collapsed to flattened condition substantially coplanar with the flat, unfolded receptacle portion, effecting folding of the receptacle-forming portionof the blank to form a receptacle therefrom, temporarily externally supporting the folded portions of the blanklto maintain the same in receptacle form, flowing thermo-plastic material into the receptacle and permitting the same to cool and harden therein, whereby said receptacle constitutes a mold for shaping the material in cake form cor-' responding with the shape of the receptacle, ef- I closed, telescoped position over the receptacle and" effecting contact of the side wall portion of the,

cover with the adhesive coated side wall portion of the receptacle, thereby to complete the enclosing of the material, seal the package in closed condition and cause the side wall portions of the cover to maintain said receptacle portion in receptacle .form.

5. The method of packaging material which consists in propelling a blank which is in collapsed, flat condition but which is adapted to be folded to form a receptacle portion and a cover portion, the cover portion being adapted to telescopically flt over the receptacle portion, eflecting folding of the receptacle-forming portion of the blank to form thesame into a receptacle, maintaining the same in said receptacle form solely by external supporting means, flowing material therein to flll the same, effecting folding of portions of said cover-forming portion of the blank to am a nrcnaanson. 

